Change Your Image
JAM-52
Reviews
X2 (2003)
2X better than the first
How does Hollywood take the same idea, with largely the same cast, when everyone has seen largely the same effects, in a genre like that's the same as last year's big Spidey success and the same as this year's coming Hulk success after an amazingly same sequel run as Batman and Superman before it and -- do the same thing again and have it be even better? Well they've done it with X2 (even the title is better with its gender neutrality). A fun summer flick way before summer (do they realize it's not even Memorial Day for another 24 days?) is here. Then it ends and we actually want more of the same thing again right after we see more of the same thing again. It's good for 2X more X films - but lets hope they keep getting 2X better unlike the DC movies heretofore mentioned.
Training Day (2001)
Denzel Dynamite Disturbing Dark
Not something to sit through twice. The movie disturbs - it does not leave you wanting more. The video tape has an alternate ending which over-promises and under-delivers; the alternate is merely a grainy version of the actual ending. Maybe that left me doubly disturbed and a little disappointed. I've been wanting to see this movie for a long time and now I know it won't be one to repeat. The plot itself is a bit farfetched (was all this supposed to take place in one day?) Yes, Denzel gives a great performance. In fact, all of the acting is fine. Don't expect too much and maybe you won't be disappointed.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
A Top Notch Film
Ron Howard will finally get his due. He has outdone himself - again. He has put forth some very nice films, but this one tops them all. I went into this film undecided about Russell Crowe. I was not caught up in all the over the top praise that was handed out to him and the Gladiator film and the over praise for that outing caused me to wonder about his ability. The combination of his performance in A Beautiful Mind together with his very nice showing in The Insider clearly display his credentials as one fine actor. Whether this is the best movie of a, hopefully, high quality year of good films or it is the best movie coming out at the end of a particularly lousy year for Hollywood - it qualifies either way. I wonder if we won't see Crowe miss out on an Academy Award for this one since he got the one he didn't deserve for Gladiator. We really ought to see Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor Oscars and at least a nomination or two for Best Supporting Actor (both Harris and Bettany are very good in this film) out of this Beautiful Film.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The gamble pays off!
Who would be foolish enough to film three movies at once - at tremendous expense - with a full two years plus needed to extract the rewards? Someone with guts and confidence that their product would be one for the ages - this achieves that. If one thinks back to how amazing the books were - and how difficult it would be to come up with a film to come anywhere close, one begins to get a sense of what this film, and, hopefully, the two to follow, have accomplished. This isn't the best cast in the world, it wasn't the acting (although McKellen is amazing, Wood is very good and there are some other decent performances) which, overall, was just pretty good - it was the craft of the creative team that brings this movie to its level of excellence. Star Wars will be forever superior because it's first two films brought a better combination of acting, imagination and creativity - but this comes close. It may be that this trilogy had a tougher assignment though with a more faithful audience from the Tolkien readers. In a word this is... impressive!
Town & Country (2001)
2 hours of my life I'll never get back
What is it about Gary Shandling and unfunny films? I'm not surprised he was in a film this bad, but I expected more of Beatty, Hawn and Keaton. I can't tell if I like Charlton Heston's portrayal better than I like him. Both are equally repulsive. If you are young enough so that 30 years from now you figure out you've never seen this film and it's on television or available for rent (or whatever format will be around then) resist the temptation to watch it. It will be the worst time you'll have in the next 30 years.
Finding Forrester (2000)
Re-make of Scent of a Woman and 1,000 other films
This would have been a fabulous movie if it could have been done with an original concept. Excellent portrayals by Connelly and Abraham. It had an equal hero and portrayal to Pacino's Col. Slade and a better protagonist in Abraham's Crawford. Brown's Wallace was at least as good, and actually somewhat better, as O'Donnell's Simms. There was the minor originality of the Salinger-like character of Forrester. It's the kind of feel good movie that I'd like to give a 10 to, but I dropped it to an 8 because I felt a movie with plagiarism as a focal point should not have "plagiarized" the Pacino film.
Meet the Parents (2000)
Lots of funny moments
I had a couple of hours to kill today and this more than did that. It was a very pleasant way to spend the time - I laughed out loud more than a few times. Stiller's best performance yet. De Niro continues to show that he can be very comfortable in comedy roles. A couple of old-timers (Danner and George) put in good performances.
What Planet Are You From? (2000)
Waste of time.
I couldn't wait for this movie to end (the other two people I was with liked it better so I couldn't leave). In the words of Jay Sherman: "It stinks". It has a few funny moments. Most of the humor is cheap sexual humor - watch any TV sitcom and you'll get the same results. Save your money at the theatre and the video store - if you're looking for funny from this Shandling flick, try Albert Brooks or Woody Allen instead.